CSM Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

CSM Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 920.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,856 shares during the period. CSM Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,690,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 64.5% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,773,000 after purchasing an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Ecolab by 20.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 19.9% during the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $22,834,000 after purchasing an additional 13,840 shares during the period. Finally, McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 162.4% during the third quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,469,000 after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $273.29 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $287.31 and a 200 day moving average of $274.41. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $77.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.